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Describing language > Week 8: syntax of complex sentences > Flashcards

Week 8: syntax of complex sentences Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two ways that a clause can be embedded within another?

A

Coordination
Subordination

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2
Q

What is coordination?

A

Two constituents belonging to the same category are conjoined to form another constituent of that category.

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3
Q

What is a subordinate clause?

A

One that functions as a dependent, rather than a cohead.

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4
Q

What structure is considered as doubly headed?

A

A coordinate structure

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5
Q

Is the verb finite or non-finite in a main clause?

A

Finite

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6
Q

What are verb forms like in a subordinate clause?

A

Subordinate clauses may have non-finite verbs or different moods.

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7
Q

What is subject presence like in a subordinate clause?

A

Certain types of subordinate clauses may lack (obligatorily or optionally) a subject NP

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8
Q

Describe features of word order in a subordinate clause

A

A subordinate clause may have different word order constraints, often there is less freedom or variability

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9
Q

What is the matrix verb?

A

A verb in the main clause which determines the type of complement clause

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10
Q

What is a complement clause?

A

Clauses that occur as complements of a verb, that is they are required or licensed by the function of the verb.

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11
Q

What do complement clauses function as?

A

The subject or object of the another clause (the matrix clause)

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12
Q

Name the four categories that complement clauses often fall into

A
  1. Proposition
  2. Fact
  3. Y/N question
  4. Outcome
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13
Q

Are complement clauses finite or non-finite?

A

They may be either.

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14
Q

What is a complementizer?

A

A special word used to introduce a complement clause

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15
Q

What type of complementizer is “that”?

A

finite declarative complementizer

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16
Q

What type of complementizer is “for”?

A

non-finite declarative complementizer

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17
Q

What type of complementizer are “whether” and “if”?

A

Interrogative complementiser
(“If” = finite interrogative complementiser)

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18
Q

When is it most natural for complement clauses to act as a clausal subject?

A

Using extraposition (rephasing sentences using a dummy subject)

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19
Q

What is an adjunct clause?

A

A clause that provides additional information such as time, place, manner and reason.

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20
Q

What is an adjunct?

A

Elements which are non subcategorized by the verb but which are added to the sentence to provide various kinds of information.

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21
Q

What are the most common types of adjuncts?

A

Adverbs
Prepositional phrases
Adjunct causes

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22
Q

Subordinating conjunctions

A

The word used to introduce adjunct clauses, many of these words are also used to introduce prepositional phrase adjuncts

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23
Q

Are adjunct clauses finite or non-finite?

A

Both

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24
Q

What is a relative clause?

A

A clause which modifies the head noun within a noun phrase.
It is a type of adjunct clause.

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25
Q

What are the basic parts of a relative clause?

A

The head noun
The modifying clause
The relativizer: links the modifying clause to the head

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26
Q

What is a restrictive relative clause?

A

The modifying relative clause restricts the (or narrows) the identity of the referent to a specific member of a set.

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27
Q

What is a non-restrictive relative clause?

A

One in which the referent can be identified independently, the clause simply presents additional information about the reference.

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28
Q

How are restrictive and non-restrictive clauses indicated in English?

A

Non-restrictive clauses are often indicated by pauses (often shown with commas), restrictive relative clauses are not

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29
Q

What is the modifying clause introduced with in restrictive relative clauses?

A

that
a wh- word
nothing

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30
Q

What is the modifying clause introduced by in non-restrictive clauses?

A

a wh-word

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31
Q

Which type of relative clause are proper names natural heads of?

A

Restrictive

32
Q

What is an externally headed relative clause?

A

One in which the head noun occurs outside the modifying clause.

33
Q

What is an internally headed relative clause?

A

One in which the head nouns appears inside the modifying clause.

34
Q

Which is more common: externally or internally headed relative clauses?

A

externally
(only a few languages have internally headed relative clauses)

35
Q

What is a relativizer?

A

A special type of complementiser which marks the modifying clause in a relative clause construction.
(that)

36
Q

What is a relative pronoun?

A

Anaphoric elements which introduce the modifying clause and take the head noun as its antecedent.
(wh- words)

37
Q

What is the biggest difference between relativizers and relative pronouns?

A

Relativizers are not types of pronouns and so are invariant particles whereas relative pronouns are inflected for case.

38
Q

What are the strategies used to indicate the relativised function?

A
  1. the gap strategy
  2. relative pronoun
  3. pronoun retention
39
Q

What is the relativised function?

A

The grammatical relation that is assigned to the head noun within the modifying clause.

40
Q

What is gap strategy?

A

When we have a missing argument in the modifying clause, the head noun is interpreted as filling this gap.

41
Q

What complementiser is used in gap strategy?

A

That or nothing

42
Q

Explain relative pronouns as a strategy to indicate the relativised function

A

A pronominal element introduces the modifying clause, this pronominal element is co-referential with the head noun.

43
Q

Explain pronoun retention as a strategy to indicate the relativised function

A

The relativised function is represented by a pronominal “copy” of the head noun (resumptive pronoun) which occurs inside the modifying clause and agrees with the head noun in number and gender.

44
Q

Which relativisation strategy doesn’t occur in English?

A

pronoun retention

45
Q

What is a headless relative?

A

ones that do not have a head noun, they take normal NP markers and contain a modifying clause which may be proceeded by a relative pronoun or relativizer.

46
Q

What is the closest thing in English to a headless relative?

A

A free relative construction and headless NPs with adjectival modifiers (e.g. the poor)

47
Q

What is a free relative construction?

A

An NP that looks like a content question (an interrogative complement).
The free relative typically refers to a thing whereas an interrogative complement clause refers to a proposition.

48
Q

Binding Principle A

A

Reflexive pronouns need an antecedent in their own clause (i.e. they are clause bounded)

49
Q

Binding principle B

A

Regular (i.e. non-reflexive) pronouns must be separated from the antecedent by a clause boundary.

50
Q

What is a clause comprised of?

A

A predicate and a set of arguments

51
Q

What is a predicate?

A

An expression denoting an activity, state or event (i.e. a verb).

52
Q

What is an argument?

A

An expression denoting a participant in the relevant activity, state or event.

53
Q

In x-place predicate, what does x denote?

A

The number of arguments they take.

54
Q

What are the 5 most important semantic roles?

A

Agent
Patient
Theme
Experiencer
Stimulus

55
Q

What is the agent?

A

The initiator of an action.

56
Q

What is the patient?

A

The entity which is affected by an action.

57
Q

What is a theme?

A

An entity which undergoes a change of state, location or possession or whose location or possession is specified.

58
Q

What is an experiencer?

A

An animate entity which experiences a sensation or emotion or perceived a stimulus.

59
Q

What is a stimulus?

A

An object of perception or cognition, or entity that prompts an emotion.

60
Q

What does control refer to?

A

A grammatical structure where a particular argument of a (subordinate) clause is omitted and interpreted as referring to an argument of another clause (generally the matrix clause).

61
Q

What is the controlee?

A

The missing argument in control.

62
Q

What is the controller?

A

The argument interpreted as being referred to in control.

63
Q

What is object control?

A

The object of the main clause controls the subject of the complement clause.

64
Q

What is subject control?

A

The subject of the main clause controls the object of the complement.

65
Q

Control predicates and semantic role

A

Control predicates assign semantic roles to their subject.

66
Q

Raising predicates and semantic roles

A

Raising predicates do not assign semantic roles to their subjects.

67
Q

Control predicates and dummy subjects

A

Control predicates cannot take dummy subjects.

68
Q

Raising predicates and dummy subjects.

A

Raising predicates can take dummy subjects.

69
Q

Selectional restrictions and control predicates

A

Control predicates impose selectional restrictions.

70
Q

Selectional restrictions and raising predicates.

A

Raising predicates do not impose selectional restrictions.

71
Q

Control predicates and passivization

A

When passivized, the meaning of the sentence as a whole is altered.

72
Q

Raising predicates and passivization

A

Passivization does not affect the propositional meaning in any significant way.

73
Q

Control predicates and idiom chunks

A

Do not allow one part of an idiomatic expression to appear on the subject position without losing the idiomatic meaning of the expression.

74
Q

Raising predicates and idiom chunks

A

Allow one part of an idiomatic expression to appear on the subject position without losing the idiomatic meaning of the expression.

75
Q

Give an example of a control predicate

A

Try

76
Q

Give an example of a raising predicate

A

Seem

Describing language (12 decks)

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